


Coffee Stains and Blood Stains

by Kris_Tea



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Murder, Barista Eddie Kaspbrak, Ben Hanscom is a Good Friend, Beverly Marsh & Richie Tozier Are Best Friends, Bill Denbrough & Eddie Kaspbrak Are Best Friends, Childhood Trauma, Eddie Kaspbrak is So Done, F/M, Frank Kaspbrak Lives, Georgie Denbrough Lives, Good Parent Frank Kaspbrak, Heavy Angst, M/M, Mike Hanlon Deserves Nice Things, Richie Tozier is a Mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22632856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kris_Tea/pseuds/Kris_Tea
Summary: Eddie Kaspbrak, a 26 year old barista, meets Richie Tozier, a 27 year old single dad and his 5 year old son, Stan.Somehow, Eddie doesn't call the cops on the other male after he nearly slices his neck open- because he can't get the thought of how Richie looked at him, endearingly and guiltily, out of his head.Did I mention Richie is a Psychopath murderer?
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon, Connor Bowers & Eddie Kaspbrak, Eddie Kaspbrak & Frank Kaspbrak, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Georgie Denbrough & Stanley Uris, Richie Tozier & Stanley Uris
Comments: 14
Kudos: 24





	1. Through the head.

A dark figure walks the streets. It's a man. His leather jacket is wet from the never ending rain, and his eyes glance around from one alleyway to another. 

His attention is suddenly on a young woman, her hair is pulled back into a ponytail tail. Her jacket, nothing similar to his, is brown and fluffy. It covers, from what he sees, is a uniform and the small shop she is walking away from, is her job. It's dark and there's a sign that says 'closed'. Good.

He sighs, toying with the object in his pocket. Sometimes, it was way too easy to find a target. He pulls out the object, a gun, and makes his way towards the woman.

And with one pull of the trigger, she was down, bullet straight through the back of her head and blood splattered everywhere. 

And just like that, he was gone off into the night, not even bothered to clean up the mess he's made.

He _never_ cleans up the messes he's made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!  
> So, this is the first chapter and it doesn't seem like much but I promise it's hopefully gonna be better- this intro is actually very important for later on so hold onto the info :)  
> (Who is this mysterious man? Oooo-)
> 
> Anyways, I appreciate comments, whether they are constructive criticism or just regular old support, so maybe leave a few if you'd like to!
> 
> (Next chapter will be out in a few hours since I already planned it out- other chapters might take longer but I hope you guys are okay with it!)


	2. Bitter day, sweeter people.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie is left to face his barista challenges alone, wishing he could go home and stop dealing with his aggrivated and seemingly-lifeless customers.
> 
> Two of his customers, though, are the nicest people he's had all day...
> 
> He even gets a young mans phone number.

Eddie _almost_ has a decent day.

He works day and night, usually fairly easy with the help of his fellow baristas, Connor and Greta, but Connor called in sick and Greta never showed up, didn't even call to give an excuse. So right now, he had to take orders while trying to make coffee's at the same time, and it didn't help that it was a busy day filled with men who were running late to their meetings and college students that needed to study for their finals.

Eddie's forced smile slowly melted into an aggravated frown as he got more stressed, cursing the manager for letting the shop be understaffed. It was a shame, really, because he knew the shop would probably close in a couple months due to this, and he'd be left broke and scrambling for a job again, for the 3rd time this year.

He sighs and returns his attention to the counter where a woman stands waiting. He hands her the latte he had in his hand and she smiles, taking it and walking out. He wants to bang his head on the counter, but he refrains himself as the door opens again. A tall man with dark, curly hair walks in, holding hands with a young boy, his hair a dark blonde and just as curly as the man's.

With a fake, half-assed smile and a strained cheery voice, Eddie greets them with "Hi, welcome to Brooklyn Cafe! What would you like to order?"

The man bit his lip, stifling laughs and Eddie looked at him confused. He shook his head, quickly glancing down at the boy he was holding hands with and back up at Eddie.

"I'd like a black coffee, no milk, anddd-"

The man glanced back down at the boy, who happily shouted "A hot chocolate!"

"Yeah, hot chocolate, with marshmallows added, _please._ " The man said, nudging the boy. 

"Oh- please!" He said, and the man ruffled his hair as a 'thank you' for using his manners.

Eddie smiled at the boy, him being the only cheerful customer he's had that day. "Coming right up," he says, moving to the back so he can prepare the coffee- and hot chocolate.

It takes him a while, but he finishes them up and brings them to the counter. The man gives him a thankful smile and hands over the money, even

though Eddie hadn't given him the amount.

"Keep the change." He murmured, also handing Eddie a small piece of paper. "Name's Richie, by the way," the man said before grabbing the drinks and turning to leave.

"Okay, kiddo, we're going to the bookstore!" Eddie hears Richie shout as they get to the door, and the boy cheers.

Eddie looks down at the small piece of paper curiously, his face turning red as he saw it was Richie's number- a heart added next to it.

He sighed, almost throwing it out but putting it in his back pocket instead. Whatever, he wasn't going to call him anyways…

_Right?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHO FINISHED THE 2ND CHAPTER-
> 
> I apologize for it being so short, I am sick and stressed so my motivation to write longer chapters is like...3%
> 
> But anyways I am planning the next chapter right now and then I'll start writing, expect it posted by tomorrow evening or the day after that!
> 
> Like I said last chapter, comments are greatly appreciated!


	3. Pain & Sadness.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie comes home from work and finds out the devastating news about his friends death.

Eddie walks out of the shop's safe warmth and into the freezing cold of a Brooklyn night, closing the door behind him and locking it.

He sighs, turning around and walking down the sidewalk in a hurry while cursing himself for bringing a light jacket. He was at least glad his place was only a few blocks down, knowing he'd only have to take two turns and he'd be there.

As Eddie unlocked the door he swore he saw a flash of black somewhere on the street- like someone had been there. Watching. He shrugged it off. He was probably just seeing things after the _day_ he's had.

He walked into the apartment, closing the door with a click and going deeper into it.

"Eddie, is that you?"

Eddie smiles. Despite his stressful day, he knows he always has someone to come home to. Someone who he could talk to.

"Yeah, dad, just got home from work!" He shouts, walking into the living room.

He snickered at the sight of Frank Kaspbrak, in all his glory, surrounded by billions of stacked papers, his computer with him in the middle of it all. It was as if he was a king protected by his castle.

It reminded him of when his dad used to tell him stories all the time, back when he was a kid and they lived in Maine. Fantasies of princesses, knights, dragons, and perfect happy endings. He remembered the shadow from the doorway, his mom always standing by and watching. That's all he remembered her doing until she died of a stroke. He always felt guilty that he didn't even care about her death...he just never spent enough time with her to feel real feelings.

"Oh, hey kiddo. How was your day?"

Frank smiled, glancing from his computer, which he was still typing on, to Eddie. Eddie sighed, plopping on the couch and making the papers shift slightly. Any more movement and they might have scattered over each other in a paper avalanche.

Eddie just looked away and Frank quirked an eyebrow. "Bad day?" He asked, getting a "mmm" as an answer. He nodded and glanced at his computer for a second. 

"You wanna talk about it?"

Eddie shook his head, letting out a small huff. His phone rang and he stood up, taking it out of his pocket and seeing who it was. He was surprised at himself for almost thinking it was Richie, as he just met the man today, so why would he be thinking about him? But no, it was Connor.

"You should go answer that," Frank said after watching Eddie stare at the screen for two minutes, "But remember, if somethings up, talk to me about it."

Eddie smiled at his dad, nodding. He pressed the bright green button, putting the phone up to his ear as he walked to his room.

"Hello?"

_"Eddie."_ Connor said, sounding slightly distraught. Eddie assumed it was because of his cold. 

"Yeah, Connor, what's-" he was cut off by the other with, _"Eddie, Greta's dead."_

His eyes widened and his mouth was agape at how sudden the words were. He almost dropped his phone. _No_ , he thought, _no, Connor is messing with me, what-_

_"She-"_ Connor cleared his throat. God, he sounded like he'd been crying for hours. _"She was found on the sidewalk the other night, couple blocks away from the cafe. Some guy found her and- and called the police. She was shot straight through the head. They said it was a murder."_

Eddie brought a hand up to his mouth. He could feel his own burning tears start to form. Eddie had known Greta for years, ever since highschool, as well as Connor. They were never very close but she was a good person- a good _friend_ nonetheless.

"What...what kind of sick person would do that..?" He asked, his own voice becoming thick with sorrow. He could hear the other boy sighing over the line, _"I don't know but...her parents are having a wake for her on Saturday, wanted to know if we could come. I'm going."_

Eddie could tell how much Connor wanted to change the subject, obviously very upset about it from his tone and his words. "Uh- yeah. Yeah I can go, just gotta tell my dad." 

_"Alright, uhm. Yeah, I guess I'll see you then."_

Eddie smiled a little even though his emotions felt clouded over with grief. "Yeah. Get some rest, you need it to get better." He said halfheartedly.

After a brief 'goodbye', Eddie tossed his phone onto his bed and curled up into the blanket, crying for at least a good 20 minutes before tiring himself out.

He was so full of shock he couldn't even be paranoid. If Greta had been murdered a few blocks away, the murderer must have at least seen him or Connor. But that wasn't what he was thinking about. He was thinking about how sorry he is about Greta's death and hoping that he could fall asleep into his dream world forever so that it didn't have to be real.

He didn't even think about the man standing outside his apartment, staring at the window of Eddie's room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> So, if you didn't see my comment last chapter I'm very very late to when I said I'd post this chapter and I am sorry! I am juggling school and family problems and on top of all that I have had the biggest writers block these past couple of days.  
> For some reason it unblocked and I wrote like 550 more words in 2 hours and BOOM I'm done.  
> But anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I am actually very proud of it. Big improvement compared to the last chapters in my brain.  
> If you didn't hear, I appreciate comments!  
> Bye :3


	4. Not enough sugar.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie goes to work again only to find Connor there, still sick and more upset than Eddie has ever seen him. They have a moment.

Eddie returned to work early.

He had woken to the sound of loud thunder, somewhere around three in the morning. He just couldn't sleep since- especially not with the memory that someone he knew was _dead._

When he walked into the shop, Eddie was so aware of everything suddenly. The paranoia he missed out on was finally catching up to him and he couldn't help but stare at everything he swears was moving.

He knows he shouldn't, he knows that there is no way that...person- no, he doesn't even want to say person anymore. He wants to say _thing,_ because no human in their right mind deserves to be called a human if they do things like that. 

But anyways, he knows that there is no way that _thing_ could still be here. Not after the police started searching and guarding the area. He heard the sirens a few blocks away when opening the shop door and he almost threw up right then and there.

Eddie sighed, going behind the counter. Where he'd be safe. Safe, safe, safe-

There was a loud clatter from the back room. Eddie froze. Everything seemed to. His breathing, his heart, time itself-

His brain didn't, though, because he was reaching for some sort of weapon- a couple of coffee creamers. As if they would do anything. Maybe they'd make a good distraction and he could run away or call the police. They were right down the block anyway. He was doubtful about any of this, but it would have to do. Especially if his life was on the line.

He inched his way to the door of the backroom, feeling like he was a kid in a horror movie. It seemed his heart unfroze because now he can hear it beating loudly in his ears, creating an unpleasant rhythm. 

He put a tight, shaky grip on the handle of the door. It almost burned when holding it, like it was the doorway to hell. He sucked in a breathe, and with one twist and a pull he opens the door and holds up the coffee creamers. 'This is for Greta' he thinks, as he throws the coffee creamers, harsh and quick.

"Ow-"

Eddie had his eyes squeezed shut tight in fear, but he opened them at the sound of the familiar voice.

"...Connor?"

There he was, in the flesh. Connor Bowers. His face was slightly pale and he had dark circles under his eyes like he hadn't had any sleep. His hair was messy, and that wasn't very normal of him.

The only thing that seemed actually human about this man was the confused look on his face, glancing from the coffee creamers which exploded from force, and back to an also confused Eddie.

He let out a sigh of relief, letting his tight grip fall from the handle of the door.

"Christ, Connor, you scared me-"

Connor took a few seconds to realize that Eddie probably thought he was at home, sick, when actually he came to work. Still sick.

"Sorry, Eds- I just didn't want you to be alone at work. Plus, after…"

He paused, looking down. There was a look of everything unhappy on his face. Eddie frowned a bit, looking the other up and down.

"You really shouldn't have come. You're still sick, you should be home resting."

He said, his hypochondriac finally kicking in. It wasn't more of that, though, it was more just worry for his friend. 

Unlike his and Greta's relationship, Connor and Eddie have been best friends for longer than he can remember, so obviously it was natural for him to worry. 

He knew Connor well enough to tell he was very upset just by the way the other male fidgeted nervously with his hands and slumped his back.

"I'm not that sick, Eddie. I'm fine. We're fine, and we're gonna go set up the shop now because if we don't we're gonna get fired-"

Connor tried to rush out the door, nudging Eddie out of the way but he put a tight grip on the other's wrist, looking at him.

"Connor," Eddie said. He looked down. Eddie sighed. 

"I know right now things are...scary," He said quietly, his voice almost a whisper, "and we have to stay strong, yes, but we're allowed to be...not strong, too. We're allowed to feel helpless and terrified, even if we need to be strong."

Connor hid his face in Eddie's shoulder as he spoke. He let himself cry while the other rubbed small circles into his back. No words were spoken during this time.

"Hey. We should open up the shop, okay? I'll let you work but take a break for tomorrow."

Eddie said with a small smile. Connor laughed a bit. "I'm surprised you're not the manager. You sound like one." 

Eddie laughed too. "Yeah, well, I'd definitely be a better manager than Dave."

They laughed everything off, and they were okay again just for a little bit. But somewhere in the near future, they wouldn't be okay, because their lives would suddenly be held by one single man who doesn't have control. "I don't want to do this," he cries, but something in him does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! So...I didn't post for a month- and I sincerely apologize for that. Things at home have been hard with Covid-19 going on so theres that....  
> But I want you guys to not worry! It may seem scary, but all you need to do is wash your hands, get exercise and stay healthy! No, you should not swallow hand sanitizer or buy millions of toilet paper and face masks- just stay calm! Stress isn't good for anyone.  
> Anywho- expect another chapter out in maybe 1 or 2 weeks? I'm really trying- no Richie this chapter but definitely next chapter!!  
> I love you all!! Stay safe!! ❤🧡💛💚💙💜💕💓💗💖💝💘💞

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!  
> So, this is the first chapter and it doesn't seem like much but I promise it's hopefully gonna be better- this intro is actually very important for later on so hold onto the info :)  
> (Who is this mysterious man? Oooo-)
> 
> Anyways, I appreciate comments, whether they are constructive criticism or just regular old support, so maybe leave a few if you'd like to!
> 
> (Next chapter will be out in a few hours since I already planned it out- other chapters might take longer but I hope you guys are okay with it!)


End file.
